August 28, 2006

MCSE Windows 2000 Core Requirements by Chellis (2000)

I purchased these books new in early 2005, and after a year and a half of never opening them, I've decided that I never will (unless they were browsed through in the store, I have literally never even opened one!). I, of course, paid full price for them ($150!!!), thinking that I was getting a bargain since, individually, they're $50 apiece (and there are four, so $200). I have to admit, though, that my interests have never included Microsoft, so I can't imagine what I was thinking. So my loss is your gain!

Here is the front of the front of the unit:

Here is the bottom of the unit:

And here are the ends of the books:

As I read the Current MCSE Requirements, these are all you need. But you must make your own decisions on that, as I am no authority on the matter. Judge for yourself.

Reading books like these while working with software has been my primary method of obtaining certifications (Linux, Networking, A+, etc.). It costs a whole lot less than taking courses and, believe it or not, it's much more educational, because you tend to focus more and take more responsibility for knowing what you need to know to pass. (I said it's more EDUCATIONAL - classes are just as likely to get you to pass, but wouldn't you rather actually know what you're doing?)

How Tall are You?

It has long been recognized that taller adults hold jobs of higher status and, on average, earn more than other workers. A large number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain the association between height and earnings. In developed countries, researchers have emphasized factors such as self esteem, social dominance, and discrimination. In this paper, we offer a simpler explanation: On average, taller people earn more because they are smarter. As early as age 3 - before schooling has had a chance to play a role - and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests. The correlation between height in childhood and adulthood is approximately 0.7 for both men and women, so that tall children are much more likely to become tall adults. As adults, taller individuals are more likely to select into higher paying occupations that require more advanced verbal and numerical skills and greater intelligence, for which they earn handsome returns. Using four data sets from the US and the UK, we find that the height premium in adult earnings can be explained by childhood scores on cognitive tests. Furthermore, we show that taller adults select into occupations that have higher cognitive skill requirements and lower physical skill demands.

August 26, 2006

What country was Bill Clinton Talking About?

In February 2005, Bill Clinton gave a remarkable interview to PBS's Charlie Rose at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland. The astounding thing about the interview was that Clinton named a country where he felt most ideologically at home. And it's not the United States of America.

"It is the only country in the world that has now had six elections since the first election of [its president in 1997]. (It is) the only one with elections, including the United States, including Israel, including you name it, where the liberals, or the progressives, have won two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote in the six elections.... In every single election, the guys I identify with got two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote. There is no other country in the world that I can say that about, certainly not my own."

That last line drew considerable laughter from the primarily Leftist Hate America First crowd that dominated the Davos forum.

What country could he be speaking of? Perhaps Canada, or New Zealand, or maybe Sweden? Not quite. The nation with the guys Clinton identifies with is...the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It's a good book, but not a very deep book. It ranks right up there with talk radio in terms of its depth of content. If you're only firing on two synapses and don't want to think too hard, but still want valid content, skip Aristotle's The Politics or Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia for a night and give this one a read.

August 17, 2006

Do you even know any Muslims?

Someone asked me that question today. The question ranks right up there with, "Do any of you even know a racist person?"

Take the word "Muslim" and exchange it with "racist" in almost any sentence, and the sentence will still work. For example:

Most racists are peaceful. It's only the radical fringe groups who commit violence.

Always remember the above when defending Islam. Take what you have to say about Muslims or Islam, and exchange "Muslim" with "racist" and "Islam" with "racism" and see if you still agree that your argument is a good one. Would you use the same argument to defend racism?

August 16, 2006

Kissing British Butt

I was reading the BBC's "Have Your Say" which is a message board (heavily censored) where people can post comments about current issues. Today's headline question reads: "UK terror plot: Your reaction". I was struck by the number of butt kissing Americans groveling at the feet of the Brits thanking them for foiling a terrorist plot against the United States. While I am grateful for the British and Pakistani intelligence, I think instead of kissing British butt we as Americans should be asking them why they keep producing so many terrorists to begin with. Maybe if western Europe wasn't the hot bed of terrorist plotting (9/11 was planned there) then Europeans wouldn't have so many terrorist plots to foil. By the way, I sent this comment to the "Have Your Say" people but it f ailed to make is past the BBC censors. I hope it will make it past yours.

Mario Sanchez
USA

What an excellent point. And from another letter:

EUROPE: A BREEDING GROUND FOR PSYCHOPATHS

Once again the public and the media are failing to see the obvious that the latest foiled terrorists are from Europe and not the Middle East. Sure, congratulations British security for a job well done, but why are so many fanatical Muslims seeking to destroy the United States born and bred in Britain and elsewhere in Europe? There are more organized Muslim radicals in Britain and Germany than in all the Middle East. They aren't even necessarily of Middle Eastern origins. The infamous shoe bomber Richard Reid is a perfect example. Most people I talk with from Britain are convinced that Reid is the victim of the "evil, corrupt" American justice system and not the other way around. They're not even slightly embarrassed one of their own was arrested for attempted mass murder. They actually feel MORE morally superior as a result. What is happening in Britain to cultivate such inhumane attitudes against Americans? Has Marxism truly succeeded in altering the thinking of an entire people? I was treated more kindly by Muslims and Arabs in Jordan and Dubai than I was by white people in London and Germany. We can't ignore the fact that even the terrorist attack on Sept. 11 was planned in Europe, not Iraq or Saudi Arabia. It's bad enough the Europeans have a history of appeasing those they fear, but to provide the foddering ground for these psychopaths - buoyed by radical Leftist anti-Americanism - is another thing altogether. How long will we in America cover our own eyes to Europe's role in this continual deadly plot to destroy the United States? I feel helpless. Everyone seems ignorant to this, even conservatives. About the only thing I can do is spread the word and boycott all things Europe--which isn't that difficult these days considering Europe's production levels are near zero. Mr. Steyn, I wish you would shed more light on this. I know Europe is thought of as America's "ally," but with friends like Europe, who needs enemies?

J Bunn
Chicago, Illinois

And:

BRING ON THE APOLOGISTS

Yet again you prove to be the only trustworthy source of sane opinion regards the arrests of the "British citizens" who wanted to bring about another 9/11.
It is actually embarrassing however that we here in Britain have to turn to somebody overseas to get this opinion. Thank god for the internet.
Over here any debate on the threat of Islamic terror is so deeply and hurriedly quashed that anybody would think the authorities/media/politicians had something rather unpleasant they would like to hide.

...

I saw some graffiti on a wall last week, it said in large writing '"Islam, death religion" - within days it had been scrubbed off (almost certainly by the town's authorities). The same town has graffiti that has been stencilled on various walls, it says "Stop the war - March against War against Iran - no more war for oil". I expect this graffiti will still be visible for many years to come.

Why do the Isamicists bother blowing up planes anyway? Can't they see they've won here already?

August 06, 2006

I wish I could vote for Feinstein

It's far more important to vote for GOOD Democrats than it is to vote for Republicans. When GOOD Democrats get into office they strongly influence the Democratic Party's agenda - and they set an example of what a Democrat should be like for voting population to witness.

So what is a GOOD Democrat? Lieberman and Feinstein are excellent examples. Howard Dean, John Kerry, and John Edwards are Satan and his brothers.

August 01, 2006

Interesting Storm

Well, the heat wave is over here. Check out this news story, watch the video - or better - click through the photos: KSL News. Here's a couple of photos from their collection which I found pretty cool (though they don't show any of the destruction):

I guess I got off easy. My power was out for about 7 hours, and my dad came over and helped me trim the damage out of my trees and get the limbs off of my yard. It seemed like quite a bit until I saw that news story at KSL.com (linked above). What I've got is really a lot more than it looks like. Before cutting all of the smaller branches off of the bigger branches, so that they'd stack good and tight, these things covered my front yard.

This road had become a river, and these round granite rocks were rolling in it, I guess:

See my aspens and how they're leaning to one side?

They didn't used to be that way. They nearly were blown over. You can see by looking at the gaping holes on one side of their trunks where they used to be. I hope the roots aren't damaged.

It must've been one of Arizona's typhoons which got lost along the way.